ARRL Audio News from this edition is available at http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/ for two weeks after publication.

Address Changes: Kathy Capodicasa, N1GZO, e-mail kcapodicasa@arrl.org.

Editorial: Rick Lindquist, N1RL, e-mail elindquist@arrl.org.

• Mir to begin crossband experiment
• Hams track mini-Sputnik temperature
• Latest AX.25 protocol available from TAPR
• Busted broadcast pirate also a ham
• Larry Ferrari, WA2MKI, SK
• In Brief: This weekend on the radio; STS-83/84 QSLs; TARA Sprint; Ham brochures on the road; FCC to review regs

Ham radio aboard the Russian Mir space station will go crossband on an experimental basis starting December 1. The crossband test is part of an ongoing "two-phase frequency experiment" aimed at improving Amateur Radio operations aboard Mir and at better understanding which frequencies or combinations of frequencies will work for the International Space Station. Phase 1, a 70 cm-2 meter "crosslink" experiment, will run until March 1, 1998. The uplink frequency will be 437.850 MHz, and the downlink frequency will be 145.800 MHz.

Phase 2 of this experiment, starting March 1, 1998, will use a 2 meter-only set of uplink and downlink frequencies. It will continue until June 1, 1998.

This experiment was developed by the international partners in Manned Space discussions at the recent Toronto AMSAT-NA Space Symposium. It was endorsed by SAFEX; SAREX; AMSAT-UK; the IARU Region 2 President; the IARU Satellite Advisor, ZS5AKV; ARI (Italy); and RAC (Canada). While not present at the Toronto meeting, the US MIREX team also was consulted and has agreed with the spirit of this experiment.

US astronaut Dave Wolf, KC5VPF, has been reported too busy to get on the air from Mir in recent weeks. MIREX officials have been told that the feedline for the Mir packet station was damaged during the November 6 space walk. Current problems with the attitude control computer aboard Mir might delay the next space walk that could repair the antenna until January. Until the Mir computer problems are resolved, it's expected that the SAFEX II repeater may be shut down for a while.--AMSAT News Service; MIREX

AMSAT reports that two hams, Richard Goode, W8RVH, of New Carlisle, Ohio, and Clayton Winder, W8ZCF, of Cincinnati, Ohio, have been observing the temperature readings on the Sputnik PS2 satellite since its launch early this month. The audio pitch of the Sputnik model's beacon varies according to temperature. The pair used an audio generator and a frequency counter to come up with their readings.

W8RVH and W8ZCF have noted the downward drift in temperature during several passes and plan to take a closer look at their data. The current downward trend in unexplained. The Sputnik satellite, a one-third scale model of the original Sputnik 1 launched in 1957 by the USSR, was a joint project of schools in Russia and Reunion Island, with technical assistance from AMSAT-France. The model--also known as RS-17 and Sputnik 40--is expected to continue operating for several more weeks. Reports continue to be received from all over the world, and the news media have picked up on the story.

The mini-Sputnik is orbiting behind and below Mir, and the satellite and the space station are now approximately one minute apart. Both take just over 92 minutes to orbit Earth.

AX.25 Version 2.2 is up on the Web! You can access both the 1984 and 1997 versions of this Amateur Radio packet link protocol at http://www.tapr.org/tapr/html/ax25.html. This document marks the fourth edition of the AX.25 Amateur Packet Radio Link Layer Protocol by the ARRL and the Tucson Amateur Packet Radio Corporation (TAPR). The AX.25 Version 2.2 document is available free of charge.

This document defines a protocol used between two Amateur Radio stations in a point-to-point or networked communications environment. The protocol specifies only link layer and physical layer functions. It is not intended to specify any upper-layer protocol other than certain interface requirements to and from other layers. This protocol recognizes and accommodates the uniqueness of the Amateur Radio operating environment.

Since the publication of the first edition of the standard, an Amateur Radio digital network has evolved. Because this development has negated the need for the digipeater mode of operation, the proposed new specification limits digipeating to a maximum of two hops or separate radio links.

A big addition in this version has been the addition of the System Description Language (SDL) diagrams to help anyone better understand how the system works. The SDL, included in Appendix C, is a much clearer description of the protocol than the verbal text.

At the ARRL and TAPR 1997 Digital Communications Conference in October, the ARRL Future Systems Committee transferred all responsibility for the AX.25 document to TAPR. TAPR now maintains the PID assignments and work on any future corrections or changes to the document. Three new PID assignments have been added to the current version--one for FlexNet and two for Jacobson TCP/IP compression.

A major effort toward updating Version 2.0 was published by Eric Scace, K3NA in 1988 at the Seventh Computer Networking Conference. This work is included in the latest standard version, together with protocol improvements that will aid networking and HF users. The latest document began with the work of William A. Beech, NJ7P, Douglas E. Nielsen, N7LEM, and Jack Taylor, N7OO, in the early 1990s. "Without their work in the initial stages several years ago, the document wouldn't have been updated and the diagrams wouldn't be available today," said TAPR's Greg Jones, WD5IVD. Jones says Lee Knoper, N7CUU, a technical writer, edited the document last year.

Jones and ARRL Technical Relations Manager Paul Rinaldo, W4RI, got the Future Systems Committee to look at the resulting document.

A well-known ham who thumbed his nose at the FCC was among those caught up in a Tampa, Florida, sweep by federal agents to shut down unlicensed broadcasting operations there. L. Douglas "Doug" Brewer, KC4HAZ, a General licensee of Temple Terrace, Florida, was detained when armed agents moved in to close down the pirates and confiscate equipment. Brewer is the trustee of several Amateur Radio repeaters in Tampa.

Brewer, 43, operated "The Party Pirate" from his home on 102.1 MHz. He told reporters that he was awakened November 19 at 6:30 AM by armed US marshals who handcuffed him. According to news reports, federal agents seized equipment from his home studio and from a remote broadcasting van that carried a "102.1 FM Pirate Radio" logo. They also dismantled a 150-foot tower. US marshals trucked away the equipment in a rental vehicle as Brewer looked on.

Known on the air as "Craven Moorehead," Brewer is said to have taunted FCC officials on and off the air and has refused to pay a $1000 FCC fine. Brewer has hinted that he plans to return to the airwaves. The Party Pirate was the subject of an article earlier this year in The Wall Street Journal. Brewer's Web site includes pictures of FCC agents taking field strength readings outside his house.

Well-known ham and TV personality Larry Ferrari WA2MKI, of Cinnaminson, New Jersey, died November 20. He was 65 and had been suffering from cancer. For 40 years, Ferrari played the organ on The Larry Ferrari Show on Philadelphia's Channel 6 (WPVI) and was a regular in the station's Thanksgiving Day Parade, where he performed on a float. He also provided music for other Channel 6 programs. In addition, he entertained at various ham radio club banquets over the years. From 1985 until earlier this year, Ferrari was the organist at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Camden, New Jersey. Channel 6 plans to broadcast Ferrari's last taped show Sunday, November 30, at 6:30 AM, preceded by a memorial tribute.--thanks to Kay Craigie, WT3P, and many others

• This weekend on the radio: CQ WW! It's the CQ Worldwide DX Contest (CW) this weekend. See October QST, page 107, for details or visit http://www.arrl.org/contests/.

• STS-83/84 QSLs: QSLs for space shuttle missions STS-83 (April 3-8, 1997) and STS-84 (July 1-17, 1997) have been forwarded to the Bergen Amateur Radio Association (New Jersey). BARA generously offered to pay for the QSLs and will be handling QSLing responsibilities for these two missions. Hams aboard were KC5RNI, KC5BTK, and KC5FVF.

• TARA Sprint: The date of the TARA RTTY Sprint in QST is incorrect. The event, sponsored by the Troy (New York) Amateur Radio Association was moved back to avoid holding it the same weekend as the ARRL 10 Meter Contest. The correct dates and times are December 6, 1800 UTC, until December 7, 0200 UTC. Complete details can be found on the TARA web page at http://generators.com/tara/index.html. For more information, contact Bill Eddy, NY2U, e-mail mrbill1953@aol.com or Tom Remmert, N2TR, e-mail tremmert@texoma.net.

• Ham brochures on the road: If you're traveling through Connecticut, don't be surprised if you see ham radio brochures at several Interstate rest stops or at Bradley International Airport. The Educational Activities Department has distributed Ham Radio . . . Today and Into the Future as part of its efforts to spread the word about our great hobby. The brochures tell what ham radio is all about and refer readers to the ARRL.

• FCC to review regs: The FCC has begun its first comprehensive biennial review of telecommunications (common carrier) and broadcast regulations. The review is required by the Telecommunications Act of 1996. FCC Chairman William Kennard said the first biennial review "is a key time for the Commission to take a serious top-to-bottom look at its rules."

The ARRL Letter is published by the American Radio Relay League, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111; tel 860-594-0200; fax 860-594-0259. Rodney J. Stafford, KB6ZV, President; David Sumner, K1ZZ, Executive Vice President.

Circulation, Kathy Capodicasa, N1GZO, e-mail kcapodicasa@arrl.org.

Editorial, Rick Lindquist, N1RL, e-mail elindquist@arrl.org.

Visit the ARRLWeb page at http://www.arrl.org.

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